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Summary:

A fine specimen of Ottoman calligraphy comprising devotional material in Arabic and Turkish, opening with a Turkish elucidation of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah, followed by the names of the Prophet, description of the Prophet's characteristics (or hilye text, opening with the text related by ʻAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib) with Turkish elucidation, and similar descriptions for each of the four rightly guided Caliphs (Çihâryâr-i Güzin).

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Subject(s):

Islam--Prayers and devotions--Early works to 1800.Caliphs--Early works to 1800.Manuscripts, Arabic--Michigan--Ann Arbor.Manuscripts, Turkish--Michigan--Ann Arbor.Muḥammad,--Prophet,--d. 632--Early works to 1800.Koran.--Sūrat al-Fātiḥah--Criticism, interpretation, etc.--Early works to 1800.

Decoration:

Fine illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān) at opening on p.8 consisting of rectangular piece with empty gold cartouche flanked by floral accents, surmounted by dome or semi-circular piece filled with swirling floral decoration in gold with black outline, white, red and orange-red on fields of gold and dark blue (cobalt), all surmounted by vertical stalks (tīgh) in red and blue and set in a well of gold, red and blue bands with white crosses ; additional illuminated headpieces at section openings throughout the manuscript ; written area surrounded by gold frame defined by black fillets ; textual dividers in the form of gold rosettes with red and blue accents.

Support:

European laid paper with roughly 14 laid lines per cm. (horizontal), chain lines spaced 19 mm. (vertical) and no watermarks visible (perhaps lost to trimming), beige in color, sturdy though thin and transluscent, well-sized and burnished ; flyleaves in a different European laid paper.

Accompanying Materials:

"a. Two 5 x 7 catalog cards bearing above description of item. -- b. Letter, Warner G. Rice (Director, General Library, U of M) to Mr. Richard Ford of Detroit, 20 July 1951. In the letter Rice acknowledges receipt of a 16 July note from Ford which included a copy of a letter obtained by Ford from G. M. Meredith-Owens, Brit. Mus. Dept. of Oriental Printed Books and Manuscripts, presumably authenticating (and describing?) the work in hand. Ford's letter may have asked what research institutions in the United States might be interested in acquiring the text. Rice writes: "There are several research institutions in the Unites States which have made some special attempts to collect materials on and about the Near East. Among these I suppose the most distinguished is Princeton, though a good deal has been done at the University of Chicago also. At the University of Michigan we have specialized for a long time in Coptic materials, but we are now extending our interests, especially through the activities of Professor Cameron, who has recently become head of our Department of Near Eastern Languages...The General Library is now making rather extensive purchases of materials in Turkish, Persian, and Arabic. Last fall we acquired a large collection 19 of such materials and shall doubtless continue to build in this field. I can assure you that if you were to offer the Arabic manuscript which Mr. Owens describes to the University of Michigan we should be very glad indeed to have it." -- c. Note on pink slip of paper in handwriting of Harriet Jameson: "From Mr. Wagman 12-22-61. Is this the missing manuscript? No. In his vault. Keep anyway." -- d. Small Univ. of Mich. campus mail envelope addressed "Islamic MS," containing small fragment of a book binding: filigree cut gilded leather on cloth" - from handlist prepared by R. Dougherty, 1993, only cards carrying description still with manuscript.